Need a new computer.

[Barbarossa]

Hey all,

I need help putting a new computer together. I've been browsing on Newegg and I'm all confused.

I'd really like to go with the Intel Core I7, or top of the line AMD (phenom?) processor.

I'm also looking into using a solid state hard drive for the operating system only. I'd install any programs etc onto another drive.

Can someone fill me in on this dual video card stuff?

I already have drives with itunes songs, high rez pictures off my digital camera, movies etc.. on it. I'd be wiping this box and starting fresh for that kind of stuff.
(iTunes lags this computer like crazy)

Basically Looking to build a hotrod for less then $1,000. I'm not savy enough to figure out what power supply works with what, or what mother board fits in what case. I can turn a screwdriver though! (not paying dell for that )

Thanks in advance.

[lewdogg21]

What do you want to use this pc for? I see tons of $ being wasted depending on your answers.

[Barbarossa]

This would basically be a sterile box for gaming only.

I'd like to be able to play the new call of duty, etc...


Right now I'm using a P4 1.5Ghz, with 512 Mb of ram with a Radeon 9700.


I'm looking for something that will be able to perform for years to come.

[clockwork]

Technology.

I'm looking for something that will be able to perform for years to come.

This is technology we're talking about here, right?
Keep us posted on the build...

BTW, I've been running an Intel E6750 with 4GB DDR2 on a P5K Premium for 2+ years. The E6750 (2.66GHz) is pushed to 3.5GHz, memory (667) is pushed to 850MHz and graphics are through a single OC'd nVidia 8800GT... works like a charm.

My 2c - go with a GOOD board, it'll last you longer...

[Barbarossa]

I'd like to be able to play the new call of duty, etc...

Minimum req's are:
# OS: Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 (Windows 95/98/ME/2000 are unsupported)
# Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 3200+ processor or better supported
# Memory: 1 GB RAM
# Graphics: 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT or better or ATI Radeon 1600XT or better
# DirectX: Microsoft DirectX 9.0c
# Hard Drive: 12GB of free hard drive space
# Sound: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card


Something like this?

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=11242525

[bigmike82]

That looks okay to me.

Except, if you're spending 400 bucks on a mobo/cpu combo, I'd go with an i7 over the Core2. It may not be as fast, but if you buy a good mobo, you can easily upgrade the procs in the future to something faster.

[Telperion]

Way too much PSU, I put your specs into http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp and it recommended 278 W.

[locosway]

If you get confused on Newegg then either find a buddy to help you out, or head over the Dell.com and not worry about it.

[bigmike82]

For a hundred bucks, the PSU is good. That's not something I'd change.

[knuckled]

How about something like this:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=15992688

I based it on your sample wishlist, but changed almost all of it. Here's why:

Processor: While the e8600 would theoretically be faster (for games) due to the higher clock speed, the quad core Q9550 is more than fast enough so that the real 'bottleneck' would be your graphics card. The Q9550 is better for multitasking, multimedia en/decoding, (de)compression etc. and is more future-proof for when games start utilizing 4 cores. The i7 920 would be a bit faster then the Q9550 (but that is pretty much limited to encoding if that makes a diff to you), but a compatible motherboard with comparable features will cost +$150 and if you wont be upgrading your CPU within the next 18-24 months anyway then the socket won't even take the newest processor by the time you are on the market to upgrade your CPU. Plus by then you'll probably want a new motherboard with USB 3.0, Sata III and PCI-E 3.0 anyway.

Motherboard: Right on, the EP45-UD3P is a feature packed monster overclocker and IMHO by far the best value of any intel chipset mobo out there now (esp. if you don't need a 'future proofed' motherboard as mentioned in the processor comment). It currently holds the record for overclocking DDR2 and the FSB, and is packed with more features/connectors then you should ever need. You should fairly easily be able to overlock a Q9550 to 3.7GHz - 4.0GHz on it.

Power supply: the 750TX is a solid choice, can go $10 cheaper to the Corsair 650TX if you want , which would be sufficient for any single graphics card setup. The 750w PSU is better to get if you think you will ever run a dual graphics card setup.

Graphics: The ATI 4890 is better and cheaper than the nVidia 275. When it is overclocked well it can almost go head to head with the 285 (the 285GTX is a little faster, but the 4890 is MUCH better in the price/performance dept.). You may want to decide between the the 4890 and the 5770. The latter is a bit slower but it runs cooler (so it is quieter) and will run DirectX 11. You will probably be upgrading your graphics card before any games come out exclusively for DX11 but you may want the DX11 option when compatible titles come out, if the improvement graphics-wise is as big as they promise (but nobody knows at this point.). Simply put, either card should be able to run any game that comes out in the next 3 years (though not necessarily at the highest res/best fps).

Don't worry about getting a second graphics card now. If you aren't one of those types that gets 2+ of the latest graphics cards every time a new one comes out, then when you build your system you should get the single best card you're willing to buy. That way you have room to upgrade if you ever decide to go the dual GPU route (though usually by the time you want to add a second card it is probably better to just get the best value on the market and sell the old one rather then add a second). The above motherboard will allow dual ATI cards (crossfire) but not dual nVidia so another reason to go with ATI if you will be getting that mobo.

BTW if you are willing to spend more on a GPU, then the 5850 is an awesome card to get. It is overpriced now, since Nvidia hasn't rolled out its competitor. (should come down fast pricewise in a couple months if nVidia releases something good by then)

RAM: The stuff I picked is cheaper after rebate and has a killer rep/OC potential.

Hard Drive: go for a WD Caviar Black, it has great speed, reliablity, and a 5 year warranty. Stay away from this generation of Seagate HDDs. Apart from the whole firmware fiasco they had, I've heard/read more than enough horror stories about Seagates of 1TB+ size being failure prone. (See the huge % of 1 egg reviews on this model, this model, and this model)
Samsungs are fine to get. Whatever drive you get, make sure it has 3 platters (or fewer; for speed and reliability purposes), and 7200rpm if it is your system disk. Though SSDs have improved a bit lately they're still a big ripoff IMHO, especially for a $1k budget.

Case: I think for $10 more the CM690 is a better deal then the Antec 300 b/c it has eSata & firewire ports, external 3.5" bay, sideways harddrive installation, better cable management/airflow and has more room for today's big GPUs & CPU coolers. It is bigger then the the Antec 300, so if size/space is a big issue don't get it. The Antec 300 is a solid choice as well.


Don't forget to look for combo deals to save some $$ at newegg. Should be able to get the CPU+Mobo combo, and maybe Windows+GPU those should save you $50+dollers


You'll also need thermal compound for the CPU (arctic silver 5) and some case fans (yate loons are good budget fans, get low speed for quiet, med speed for great cooling but are a bit loud, fast ones IMO are just way too loud.). If you want to overclock your Q9550 to 3.5+GHz you should get an aftermarket cooler such as the Xigmatek S1283 and ACK-I7361 bracket

Hope all this info doesn't overwhelm you. I tried to explain my reasoning so you can know what to look for if you want to compare these picks with anything. Don't hesitate to ask if you need clarification on any of this.

This system should come out to about $1000 + Tax + S&H (after rebates/combo discounts). If you can wait 'til Black Friday you should be able to get some hot deals (online, no need to rush to a store) and knock $100+ off the total.

[Barbarossa]

knuckled,

Thank you for your detailed post. I'm going to have to do some reading and digest this.

Firstly regarding the processor.

What about going AMD like the: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 140W Quad-Core Processor
Or,
Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor See combo deal: 291037

Seems this at 3.4 Ghz, would surely beat the Q9550, and they are roughly the same cost.

I've always bought Intel, but I have no aversion to AMD.

(this will change the entire mobo, Power supply etc.. right?)

[wildhawker]

Similar spot as yourself, here's what I went with. It was over $1k OTD, so a few of the components would need to be played with to get it back to your budget. This WD hard drive scored above the Caviar Black and was only a few bucks more.

1 x DVD BURNER LITE-ON | IHAS424-98 R
1 x HD 1T|WEST DIGITAL WD1002FBYS
1 x CARD READER AFT XM-35U BLACK
1 x CPU THERMPASTE|AS5-3.5G
1 x CPU COOLER NOCTUA|NH-U12P SE2
1 x CASE ANTEC|TWELVE HUNDRED BK
1 x MB MSI P55-GD80 1156
1 x PSU CORSAIR|CMPSU-750TX 750W
1 x CPU INTEL|CORE I7 860 2.8G
1 x MEM 2Gx4|CORSAIR CMD8GX3M4A1600C8
1 x XFX RADEON HD 5850 1 GB DDR5 PCI Express Card HD585AZNFC

[Super Spy]

I've built a number of my own PC's from scratch before, my last computer was a laptop so of course bought it. This time I looked into building one and ended up buying this http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...t56671&topnav=

It comes with a 3 Ghz Phenom, 8 Gigs of memory, 1 TB harddrive and it's fast. I will be adding a better video card (for CAD and games) and may have to upgrade the power supply to do so. There was no way I could build a better system for less money, especially when you throw in buying an OEM copy of windows. The warranty is nice and Costco is easy to work with. Yes it's fun to brag to your buddies that you built it, this is just easy, fast, and cheap. Performance wise I'm sure it will do the trick (High End CAD software is very demanding on system resources)

Good Luck!

[Rekrab]

The problem with any prebuilt system is that you will not have nearly as many choices with hardware configurations. You'll also be stuck with whatever crappy hardware manufacturer they decide to use. I like to be able to actually decide who my motherboard, case, power supply, ram and video card are made by.

[5hundo]

I'm looking for something that will be able to perform for years to come.

Get a Mac...